Device for cleaning strand material



ALWfiH K, H3fi E MILL ET AL 2fi318 DEVICE FOR CLEANING STRAND MATERIAL Filed Jan. 18, 1935 2 sheeas -Sheet IL 1N VENTOIL ATTORNEY.

Ami! K H" E. HIILIL. ET AL I gflmggm DEVICE FOR CLEANING STRAND MATERIAL Filed Jan. 18, 19:45 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR-S ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT DEVICE FOR CLEANING STRAND DIATERIAL 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a thread cleaner whereby undesirable thick portions in any strand material, such as threads of silk, cotton, rayon, wool, etc. can be removed.

The primary object of the invention resides in the design and corelation of the various parts of the cleaner, whereby irregularities, unevenness or thickened portions of thread can be removed according to predetermined degrees of friction created between the traveling thread and the device.

An object of the invention resides in the provision of means for stopping the travel of the thread when a defect in the thread, as above set forth, passes into engagement with the device, the action being based upon the degree of frictional engagement of the thread with the device, which degree of frictional engagement is accurately controlled by the manual adjustment of the device.

Another object of the invention resides in the novel form of gauge utilized in combination with an overbalanced control arm whereby the travelling thread will not be subject to chafing or that degree of frictional contact which would injure the thread for subsequent use.

Besides the above, our invention is distinguished in the use of an overbalanced control arm and gauge, the degree of overbalancing of which may be accurately controlled manually whereby any degree of friction between the gauge and thread may be relied upon to set the device into operation for the cutting of the thread.

A feature of the invention resides in the use of a gauge movably mounted and adapted to have frictional engagement with imperfections in the thread and in combination with means whereby the movement of the gauge is controlled according to the degree of frictional engagement between the imperfections in the thread and the gauge.

Throughout the following specification, we wish it to be understood that the term cleaning herein set forth is to be interpreted to mean the removal of thickened portions in any type strand material, thread, or yarn.

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation of the thread cleaner.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the gauge.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the control lever and associated parts.

Figure 5 is an end elevation.

Figure 6 is a sectional view on line 6-5 of Figure 5.

Figure '7 is a horizontal sectional View of the trigger and associated parts.

Again referring to the drawings, illustrating one embodiment of our invention, numeral i designates a support that may be attached to any suitable type of machine for the cleaning of strand material, such as threads or yarns of silk, cotton, rayon, Wool, etc., but preferably attached to a winding machine where the adaptation of such an invention is very important for the removal of thickened portions of the threads or yarns being wound.

Broadly stated, our invention consists of a control device 2 connected to the support, and a cutter device 3 also mounted on the support, the two devices cofunctioning to cut the travelling thread upon movement of thickened portions of the thread into cooperative engagement with our improved thread cleaner.

A very important feature of the invention resides in the fact that the control device is overbalanced, the degree of overbalancing being manually controlled, whereby the operation of the control device may be accurately regulated according to the degree of friction created between the control device and imperfections in the travelling thread.

Basically, the control device 2 consists of an overbalancing control lever l and a gauge 5, but we wish it to be understood that the gauge 5 may be overbalanced in various other ways without the use of the lever. The main feature of the control device is the overbalancing of the gauge so that the movement of the gauge depends directly upon the degree of friction created between the gauge and the travelling imperfections in the thread.

For the purpose of illustration, we have shown the control lever 4 pivoted at an intermediate point to the support, as at ii, to provide a long arm I and a short arm 8, the gauge being removably attached to the short arm, and upon the long arm 1 is adjustably mounted a balance weight 9 whereby the degree of overbalancing of the lever and the gauge 5 may be manually controlled.

A clip I!) is secured to the weight and is provided with a leaf spring ll yieldably engaging the lever for frictionally holding the weight in adjusted position.

As clearly shown in Figure 6, the gauge consists of companion plates l2 having contacting walls l3 that are held in accurate flat engagement with each other by the bolt [4 that is clamped to a lug l5 formed on the end of the arm 7. This accurate engagement of the walls l3 accurately spaces the flat gauge surfaces 15 of the gauge for providing an accurate gauge passage I6 for the thread.

Through the utilization of the flat gauge surfaces accurately spaced from each other, chafing of the passing thread is reduced to a minimum. Besides, proper frictional engagement with a thickened portion of the thread is accomplished with the flat surfaces for the moving of the gauge and thereby the lever.

If found advantageous in practice, graduation marks I! may be placed upon the lever to coact with the clip III for the accurate positioning of the weight upon the lever, according to the desired degree of frictional engagement to be created between the thread and the gauge for the movement of the latter.

As far as we have proceeded, it will be understood that a thread of normal size may readily pass between the gauge plates, but when any thickened portions thereof attempt to pass between the gauge surfaces, a degree of friction will be created, great enough to move the gauge upwardly, providing the Weight 9 has been properly adjusted. This movement of the gauge and lever is relied on to operate the cutter in the manner hereinafter described, for thecutting of the thread so that the irregularity may be re moved.

By accurately adjusting the weight upon the lever, that degree of friction between the thread and gauge necessary to remove the gauge may be accurately regulated, that is to say, by moving the weight outwardly of the arm in a direction away from the pivot point, a lesser degree of friction will be necessary to move the gauge and upon the movement of the weight in the opposite direction, a greater degree of friction will be necessary for the movement of the gauge.

Various forms of cutting devices may be utilized in conjunction with our novel type of gauge and associated parts, but for the purpose of illustration, we have designed an electromechanical type, the energization of which is controlled according to the movement of the control lever.

For this purpose, the cutting device consists of an electromagnet l8 adapted, upon energization, to retract a pivoted trigger l9 that is provided with catches 20 for removably engaging a movable cutter blade 2l for action with the stationary blade 22. The movable blade 2| is attached to a resetting device illustrated as a rod 23 slidably mounted on the support I. This rod has mounted thereon a coil spring 24, one end of which engages the blade 20 and the other end presses upon a finger 25 extending from the trigger, whereby the coil spring 24 may be utilized to force the blade 2| when released from the trigger into cutting engagement with blade 22 and, further, force the trigger 8 towards locking position with the blade 2! when the same has been retracted by the resetting rod 23.

The electromagnet I8 is arranged in a circuit 26 including a source of current 21, a movable contact 28, and a stationary contact 29, the former connected to the lever 4 and the latter mounted upon support I. These contacts are adapted to engage each other when the lever has been operated by an imperfection in the thread passing into engagement with the gauge 5.

An upper guide 30 and a lower guide 3| are arranged to properly feed the thread past the cutter blades and through the gauge.

In the normal position of the various parts of the thread cleaner, the gauge 5 is in its lowermost position, with the weight 5 in its uppermost position, due to the overbalancing of the lever 4, thereby separating the contacts 28 and 29 for deenergizing the electromagnet. Due to the fact that the electromagnet is not energized, the trigger I9 is arranged in latching position with the blade 2| for holding the same out of cutting engagement with the blade 22. The parts continue to occupy such a relation as long as the thread passing through the gauge is free of thickened portions, but as soon as a thickened portion passes into engagement with the gauge 5, the overbalancing of the lever is overcome, thereby raising the gauge 5 and lowering the weight 9 and bringing the contacts 28 and 29 into electrical engagement with each other for closing the circuit of the magnet I8 and thereby energizing the same. Upon energization of the magnet IS, the trigger i8 is re tracted, thereby releasing the blade 2! which, through the action of the spring 24, moves into engagement with the thread and then into cutting engagement with the blade 22 for severing the thread. The operator can then proceed to remove the imperfection in the thread and again start the movement of the thread through the cleaner.

As heretofore stated, adjustment of the weight along the arm will determine those degrees of frictional engagement between thickened portions of the thread and the gauge that will be required to operate the lever and set the cleaner into operation for the severing of the thread.

It is, of course, to be understood that the design and corelation of the component parts of the control device and the design and corelation of the parts of the cutter device may be changed without departing from the spirit of the invention. Besides, our specific type of control device may be used with other designs of cutting devices. Therefore, we do not desire to be limited in protection in any manner whatsoever, except as set forth in the following claims:

What we claim is:-

1. A thread cleaner comprising a horizontally disposed intermediately pivoted control lever, a balance weight adjustably mounted on one end of said lever, a gauge secured to the other end of said lever, said gauge consisting of companion plates provided with spaced fiat gauge surfaces between which the thread is adapted to pass, the surfaces being so spaced that any irregularities in the thickness of the thread establish a frictional engagement of said surfaces with the thread for the movement of said gauge; a support, a cutter mounted on said support and associated with said thread for the cutting thereof and arranged in close proximity to said gauge, and an electro-mechanical device mounted on said support for the operation of said cutter and operatively connected to said lever to be set into operation upon the movement of the latter.

2. A thread cleaner comprising a support, a thread cutter mounted thereon, consisting of a stationary cutter blade and a movable cutter blade associated with the stationary cutter blade, a trigger for holding said movable blade out of contact with the stationary blade, an electromagnet for retracting said trigger to allow cooperative engagement of the movable cutter with the stationary cutter, a normal open circuit and a source of current, for said electromagnet, and an overbalanced movable gauge mounted on said support and forming a portion of said circuit and associated with the thread in the manner set forth and adapted upon movement to close said circuit and thereby energize said magnet for the release of said trigger from said movable blade.

3. A thread cleaner comprising a support, a stationary cutter blade supported thereby, a movable cutter blade associated therewith and movably supported by said support, a spring acting against said movable cutter blade to move the same into cooperative engagement with said stationary cutter blade, a trigger for holding said movable cutter blade out of engagement with said stationary cutter blade against the action of said spring, a resetting device for said trigger, an electromagnet for operating said trigger, a circuit for said electromagnet including spaced contacts, a control lever pivotally mounted on said support, a balance weight adjustably mounted on one end of said lever and a gauge connected to the other end of said lever and consisting of companion plates removably connected together and to said lever and provided with paralleling spaced flat gauge surfaces between which the thread is adapted to pass, the surfaces being so spaced as to be frictionally engaged by any irregularities in the thickness of the thread and upon the passage of said irregularities, the gauge will be given a movement thereby moving said lever for closing the contacts of said circuit and thereby energize said magnet for the release of said trigger from said movable blade.

4. A thread cleaner comprising a support, a gauge lever centrally pivoted to said support to swing vertically, a gauge secured to one end of ,said lever slightly overbalancing the lever to gravitate downwardly and receiving the thread to be cleaned; a cutter for the thread; an electro-magnet for operating the cutter; and a circuit for the magnet including a stationary contact secured to the support and a movable contact secured to said lever, adapted to engage the stationary contact when the said gauge is moved vertically by its frictional engagement with an imperfection in the thread being cleaned.

5. A thread cleaner comprising a support, a gauge lever centrally pivoted to said support to swing vertically, a gauge secured to one end of said lever slightly overbalancing the lever to gravitate downwardly and receiving the thread to be cleaned; a cutter for the thread; an electro-magnet for operating the cutter; a circuit for the magnet including a stationary contact secured to the support and a movable contact secured to said lever, adapted to engage the stationary contact when the said gauge is moved vertically by its frictional engagement with an imperfection in the thread being cleaned; and a weight mounted on said lever to control the degree of overloalancing of the lever due to said gauge.

6. A thread cleaner comprising a support, a gauge lever centrally pivoted to said support to swing vertically, a gauge secured to one end of said lever slightly overbalancing the lever to gravitate downwardly and receiving the thread to be cleaned; a cutter for the thread; an electro-magnet for operating the cutter; a circuit for the magnet including a stationary contact secured to the support and a movable contact secured to said lever, adapted to engage the stationary contact when the said gauge is moved vertically by its frictional engagement with the thread being cleaned; and a weight mounted on said lever to control the degree of overbalancing of the lever due to said gauge, said gauge having oppositely disposed, vertically extending flat thread engaging surfaces, each of a relatively large area.

EARL G. HILL. WARREN A. SEEM. 

